Bantari, there is much I find sad in your post. The main sadness is that you appear to have swallowed the activists' claim that this is a bipolar issue between an open and a closed event. This issue is certainly entitled to a fair hearing, but there is a broader overriding issue that needs to be attended to first.
This is the question of how we deal with the hands that feed us. It is a fact of life that sponsorship and support of western go has been and is almost entirely Oriental. And very substantial at that - from governments, companies, professional organisations, individual professionals and individual amateurs. So long as that is the case we need, both as a matter of self interest as well as politeness and gratitude, to pay special attention to the views, perceptions and requirements of the Orientals, even if deep down we don't agree with, or even dislike, their preferences (e.g. Ing rules and clocks).
It is a perfectly valid stance to refuse such support and to hold a close European Championship, or even Congress. I would not consider that discriminatory. But it reeks of the foullest hypocrisy to take the Orientals' money and support and then try to close doors to them (and it is even more hypocritical and cynical to leave doors slightly ajar and pretend they are open).
It would be half-way acceptable, however, if the EGF (by which I really mean European players in general rather than specific council members) publicly declared to the sponsors that they wanted to try to stand on their own two feet and would like to continue taking the money for a short interim period before declaring "independence". The sponsors may not like that and may refuse, but at least it would be a more honest approach by the EGF membership. However, I have seen no evidence of that approach, and since the EGF's treasurer has said that the removal of Ing funding now puts the EGF on course for losing all its reserves within three years at current levels of spending, a declaration of independence at the moment seems an act of supreme folly.
Many of these 'closed' tournaments are in Asia, and many Europeans would give a lot to be able to play in some of them - yet it does not seem such options are even considered. The original letter argues vehemently for Asian/Korean participation in the top European event(s), so how about open the door the other way as well? How would that be for 'spirit of Go'?
This is another very sad point. Ignoring easily checked facts. Foreigners can and do enter tournaments in Japan, Korea and China. In the case of events such as the Agon-Kiriyama Cup (far from the only case) in Japan, these foreigners even get to play Japanese pros. Many of these foreigners are amateurs, some are pros. They visit Japan for this purposse from China and Korea. There is absolutely nothing to stop western players likewise going to Japan and entering these events - except of course that, far from "giving a lot", maybe they expect free air tickets in return for gracing the events with their presence?
Even the supposedly closed events such as the Meijin are actually open in the sense that anyone is entitled to try to qualify to become one of the pros invited by the sponsors to play. Joanne Missingham from Australia entered the pro qualification event in China without living there before or after (and qualified as pro). Many westerners have been accepted as inseis. Some have even qualified as pros and have been allowed to play in Japan and Korea. I'm sure westerners would be welcomed in China, too, but they currently have little chance of making the grade. However, players from Korea, Japan and Taiwan have already been allowed to play professionally inside China.
How about that for the spirit of go?